Surveyor+ GPS an Asset to Independent Surveyor

“If you are looking at incorporating a network RTK GPS unit as part of your ‘toolbox,’ I recomend adding Carlson’s Surveyor+ GPS unit to your list of systems to look at.”

–Larry Hoffman, PLSHoffman Land Surveying and GeomaticsOntario, N.Y.

Larry Hoffman, PLS

I have been using the Surveyor+ RTK GPS rover for the past six months and I can say it has been an asset to my business from the day it was incorporated into the day-to-day operations. It is very user-friendly with a very logical user interface, especially if you are familiar with Carlson SurvCE data collection software.

Carlson’s Surveyor+GPS has the ability to use the WAAS system for “rough” orientation should you just need to recover a roughly known point or only require an approximate location. It also has the ability to operate on almost any RTK reference network using the internal GSM modem (cell coverage required) and is able to track both GPS and GNSS satellites should the reference network track the GNSS satellites as well. I have used it with several different reference networks, using both RTCM and VRS language.

Carlson technical support has been excellent as well. They are very responsive to any questions and are also receptive to recommendations that might be helpful in future software updates.

The only issue the unit has in the day of wireless “connections” is the requirement to use a cable to connect the GPS antenna to the Surveyor+. While this may seem like a negative, I have found that using the cable allows the unit’s Bluetooth port to be utilized for other third party hardware, such as a disto meter or hydrographic equipment. We have even used the GPS and robotic total station simultaneously, which is useful when line-of-site or satellite visibility are issues.

Additionally, the ability to collect attribute information associated with the feature being located, such as a pipe invert, where you may want the size of the pipe, the type of pipe make this an excellent choice for GIS applications.